Fish-plate for railway-rails.



PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

W. I'. BOSSERT. `FISH PLATE FOR RAILWAIr RAILS.

VTTOyNgl/s INVENToz Mzzl/'1M APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1904.

ldiuirisn *mariee Patented May 9, 1905.

Familiar irritiert.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,482, dated May 9, 1905.

Application filed January '7, 1904. Serial No. 188,013.

To rif/J, lull/0m, it may concern:

Be it known that l, l/VILLIAM F. Bossnn'r, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Utica, in the county et Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and use'lul llmprovements in Fish-Plates for Railway- Rails,of which the following is a specilication, reference being' had therein to the accompanying' drawings.

h/Iyinvention relates to a [ish-plate for railway-rails; and it consists in the mechanism hereinafter more completely described and claimed in this specification.

The object and purpose of 1ny invention to furnish a cheap and reliable {ish-plate Vfor connecting the ends olI the rails used in the construction and operation oit' railroads, which consists in the mechanism hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

ln the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view ol thejoints ol" railroad-iron and the lishplate joints connected therewith located on a railroad-tie, broken lines indicating parts removed. Fig. 2 is an end view o'll a somewhatmodilied construction. Fig. 3 is an end view oi' a modilied construction of the lish-plate.

Having described my invention with relierence to the ligures illustrated in the drawings, l` will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the mechanical construction and operation of the same, in which description similar' numerals relier to corresponding parts in the several drawings.

l represents the ordinary railroad-tie. 2 represents the ordinary railway-rail, having the ordinary tread 3 with web l and flange 5, having suitable perforations through the rail for receiving' the bolts which pass through the lish-plate and the web et' the rail. The lishplates are constructed to rest under and engage shoulder 6 on the under side of the tread of the rails and to engage shoulders 7 on the liange oi' the rail where the web commences to expand into the base forming the lfoot of the rail, which rests upon the tie-beams and to which the same are connected by spikes or other suitable means.

The core of my invention consists in forming the fish-plates, constructed to bear against the under side ol the tread or head ol the rail and the upper `face ol the flange on each side olI the rail, with a hollow 8 ruiming lengthwise through the [ish-plate. The hollow 8 may be lilled, il desired, with wood strips 9, Fig'. l, or any other yielding substance runninglengtliwise in the center ot' the lish-plate. The walls ot' the fish-plate may be formed Yfrom a single piece of metal running vertically, as indicated at l0, having its upper and lower portions curved outwardly for engaging the under side of the tread or head of the rail and the upper :face of the llange and the outer wall 'l1 returningsubstantially parallel to the inner wall l0. The lower end el the returned wall may rest on the upper l'ace ot the inner wall, as indicated at 12, Fig. 2, or it may rest on the flange 5 against the lace el the inner wall, as indicated at Y1,3, Fig. l, leaving' the two walls, the inner and outer wall ol each lish-plate, with a space between them, which secures an elastic pressure en the nuts and bolts la, which are inserted through suitable bolt-holes in the fish-plates and in the rails, so that when the nuts are turned up on the screw-tlneaded bolts both are held byspringpressure in the outer wall ol' each fish-plate, thereby preventing in whole or in part the working loose of the nuts on the screw-threaded bolts which hold the [ish-plates to their worl; on the railroad-joints. It desired to add to the strength ol the spring resistance in the fish-plates in any lorm of my construction, a strip of wood 9 (illustrated in Fig. l) may be inserted in the longitudinal opening' between the walls otl the several fish-plates, or the lilling maybe omitted. Il" desired, the [ish-plates may be formed with an outer and an inner wall, the two edges of the lish-plates being so lormed as to engage the under side oli the head of the rail and the upper side of the llange and being made by compressing a tubular piece ol metal into the desired shape and with or without any seam in the periphery. In Fig. 3 l show such a kind ot' lishplate, which also has a different form and either edge of which may be uppermost. A lilling also can be used in this kind ot' plate. The essential characteristics of each of these several modilied constructions of fish-plates have substantially the same features-that is IOO to say, each fish-plate has a vertical inside and substantially outside wall which form a vielding' fish-plate for preven ting' the bolts and nuts from working loose when the fish-plates are properly applied to the rail-joints.

Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. The iuside vertical walls of the fish-plates may be defiected from a vertical line, so as to allow the upper and lower edges of each fish-plate to properly engage the rails, and constructed so that the long'itudinal central portion does not lie flat ag'ainst the web of' the rail. @ther changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

That l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fish-plate consisting' of one piece of metal, provided at its upper edge with a i'eturn-bend the walls of which are out of contact with each other for engaging the under 'side of the tread of the rail, the lower edges of the fish-plate brought together at their lowest edg'es for engaging the flange of the rail, substantially as set forth.

2. A longitudinally rigid fish-plate composed of a single plate of metal, having at its upper edge a return-bend the walls of which are out of contact with each other, the lower edg'es of the return-bend being brought together, substantially as set forth.

3. A fish-plate composed of a single plate of metal, having at its upper edge a return-bend the walls-of which are out of contact with each other, the space between the return-walls filled with relatively yielding material, the lower edges of the return-bend forming the walls of the plate brought substantially in contact with each other, the said plate having' rigid edges when thus formed, substantially as set forth.

at. A fish-plate consisting of a single piece of' metal, having' an inverted-U-shaped bend in its width forming the walls substantially parallel with each other and brought substantially together at their lower edges, substantially as set forth.

A fish-plate consisting' of a single piece of metal, having an inverted-U-shaped long'itudinal bend forming the walls substantially parallel with each other, relatively yielding material inserted between the walls of the U- shaped fish-plate which are brought substantially into engagement with each other, combined, substantially as set forth.

6. In a railway-bed, fish-plates adapted for connection to adjacent ends of railway-rails, the said fish-plates being composed of two substantially parallel walls having at one edge of the space thereby inclosed a returned bend, the outer edges being brought together, the said plates being' adapted to iit the lower angles of the tread and the upper ang'le of the base, substantially as set forth.

7. 1n a railway-joint, the adjacent ends of railway-rails, in combination, with a pair of fish -plates each consisting' of one piece of metal, provided at its upper side with a returnbend the walls of which are out of contact with each other for engaging the under side of the tread of the rail, the lower edges of the fish-plate brought together at their lowest edges for engaging' the flang'e of the rail, substantially as set forth.

8. In a railway-joint, the adjacent ends of railway-rails, in combination, with a pair of fish-plates, each composed of a single plate of metal having at its upper edge a return-bend the walls of which are out of contact with each other, the lower edges of the return-bend brought together, the said fish-plate being rigid in its length, substantially as set forth.

9. The adjacent ends of the railway-rails, in combination, with a pair of fish-plates, each fish-plate composed of a single rigid-edged plate of metal having' at its upper edge a return-bend the walls of which are out of contact with each other, the space between the return-walls filled with relatively yielding material, the lower edges of the return-bend forming the walls of the plate being brought substantially in contact with each other at their lower edges, substantially as set forth.

10. rlhe adjacent ends of the railway-rails, in combination, with a pair of fish-plates, each fish-plate consisting' of a single piece of metal havingI an inverted- U -shaped longitudinal bend forming the walls substantially parallel with each other and brought substantially together at their edges, substantially as set forth.

1l. Adjacent ends of railway-rails, shplates adapted to connect the said rails, the same comprising a tubular member formed with walls substantially parallel and to engage the under edge of the tread and the upper edge of the base against the surface of the web and provided with apertures in the walls to receive means for securing' them to the rail.

l2. A fish-plate formed of metal with a return-bend in its center for engaging the under side of the head of the rail, walls being out of contact with each other and the space between the walls being' filled with relatively yielding substance, substantially as shown.

13. A fish-plate formed of a tubular piece of metal, having an inverted-U-shaped bend in its upper vertical center for engaging' the underside of the head of the rail, theinverted- U-shaped walls being' formed out of contact with each other, the lower horizontal portion of the plate formed to engage theflange of the rail, the space between the inverted walls filled with a relatively yielding' substance, substantially as set forth.

14. The adjacent ends of the railway-rails, in combination, with a pair of fish-plates, each fish-plate formed of a single piece of metal having' an inverted-U-shaped bendin its upper vertical center for engaging' the under side of IOO IIO

the head ol the rail, the inverted-U-shaped walls being formed ont ot' Contact with eaeh other, the lower horizontal portion oil the plate formed to engage the flange of the rail, the edges of the plate being' brought into Close engagement, substantially as set forth.

15. The adjacent ends o'l" the railway-rails, in Combination, with a pair of {ish-plates, eaeh [ish-plate iormed oi' a single piece of metal having an inverted-U-shaped bend in its u ppelvertieal center for engaging' the under side of the head ol the rail, the inverted-U-shaped walls being' formed out of Contact with each other, thelower horizontal portion of the plate formed by elose Contact of the edges to engage the flange' of the rail, the space between the walls filled with a relatively yielding substance, substantially as set forth.

16. A tishplate adapted to connect adjacent ends of rails comprised of a plate having a U- bend lengthwise, its edges being brought into engagement, and formed to lie adjacent to the web ot' the rail and pierced for means to seenre the saine to the rails, the said fish-plate when thus formed being rigid lengthwise, but having yielding outer walls between its edges.

17. A [ish-plate eonsistingo'f a single piece of metal having a lengthwise-U-shape bend forming walls substantially parallel to eaeh other and having its edges brought substantially together.

18. A fish-plate comprising a tubnlardike member formed to rest beneath the tread and above the base of the rail, having between sueh points walls substantially parallel but separated, the said plate being longitudinally rigid but yielding laterally as to its outer wall.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. BOSSERT.

Witnesses:

E. Evmimrr RISLEY, E. T. Dn Grone-i. 

